Grad Students Files
2020 Cohort
Diana Aguirre
Diana Aguirre received her bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Arizona State University. Her current research interests include exploring diabetes management and also looking into the effects of low-calorie sweeteners might have on weight management. Her future goals include becoming a registered clinical dietitian helping people with special dietary needs. Diana's advisor is Professor Bonny Burns-Whitmore. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Dion Chang
Dion Chang is working with Associate Professor Olive Li to investigate novel applications of protein extracted from rice bran and rice by-products. After receiving his bachelor's degree in theater arts in 2010 and a degree from Le Cordon Bleu L.A., Dion has cooked in various hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Taipei. Upon graduation, he intends on developing sustainable products that can address the strains on our current food systems. Outside of academia, Dion enjoys rock climbing, tabletop games, and spending time with his family.
Kezia Chie
Kezia Chie received her bachelor's degree in food science from Tunghai University in 2016. Her research interest is developing a coating system to extend the shelf-life of certain fruits or vegetables. Her advisor is Associate Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo. In her spare time, Kezia also enjoys trying some new recipes, listening to music, and spending time with her close ones.
Julia Kim
In addition to pursuing her master's degree, Julia Kim is completing the ACEND dietetic coursework. She earned her bachelor's degree in child and adolescent studies from Cal State Fullerton in 2010. She aspires to become a registered dietitian with an emphasis on pediatric and adolescent nutrition. In her spare time, Julia enjoys reading, musicals, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Zahraa Maarafi
Zahraa Maarafi ('19, food and nutrition, dietetics options) plans to apply for a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian and eventually, wants to start her own nutrition facility. Her advisor is Assistant Professor Erik Froyen. In her spare time, Zahraa enjoys traveling, trying new foods with friends, photography, and learning new languages.
Victor Ornelas
Victor Ornelas received his bachelor’s degree in food science and technology from Cal State Los Angeles in 2020. For his master's thesis project, Victor’s research with his advisor Assistant Professor Xu Yang is aimed at developing a new water disinfection system to recycle and sanitize agricultural water more efficiently by using agricultural by-products and their derivatives, specifically yeast, to coat polyethylene beads, and to eventually immobilize free chlorine on the yeasts. In his free time, Victor enjoys working out and watching movies with his family.
Phillips Richard
Phillips Richard received a bachelor's degree in marine biology from China Jimei University 30 years ago. He has more than 25 years of work experience in the agriculture and food industries. For his master's thesis project, he is going to research the topic of food safety and virus control. His advisor is Associate Professor Olive Li. Outside school, he enjoys playing soccer, music, photography, and traveling.
Nanette Ros-Remis
Nanette Ros-Remis is a registered dietitian and registered dietitian nutritionist who earned her bachelor's degree from UC San Diego in world literature and completed her dietetic internship at Cal Poly Pomona in 2019. Her research interests are to address issues related to food insecurity, improving school gardens, and public access to fresh foods. In her spare time, she loves trying new coffee, knitting, and spending time with her spouse, who is also a Cal Poly graduate. Go Broncos!
2021 Cohort
Shing Chan
Shing Chan earned his bachelor's degree in science – food and nutritional science major from The University of Hong Kong in 2020. During his undergraduate work, he also became an executive committee member of the Biological Sciences Society. He aims to become a registered dietitian and work as a clinical dietitian. In his spare time, Shing enjoys playing basketball, singing, photography, reading, coffee and cocktail making, and spending time with family. His advisor is Assistant Professor Fatheema Subhan.
Tingjun Chen
Tingjun Chen earned both a bachelor's degree in nutritional science and the Alternative Nutrition Certificate from Cal State Los Angeles. Her current research interest is to investigate the effects of specific functional foods that may relieve constipation in older adults. In her spare time, Tingjun enjoys cooking, trying new recipes, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends. Her advisor is Assistant Professor Fatheema Subhan
Daniela Corona
Daniela Corona is an international student from Mexico. Prior to Cal Poly Pomona, she earned her bachelor’s degree in gastronomy from Universidad Del Caribe, Cancun, and worked the last seven years in various fine dining restaurants preparing contemporary cuisine. During that time, she realized the excessive amount of food waste that exists, and how cooking and science are inextricably linked. Her research interests are related to reducing food waste on a large scale. In her spare time, Daniela enjoys reading (especially the fantasy genre), crocheting, cooking, and planning trips. Her advisor is Associate Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo.
Daniel Echeverry
Daniel Echeverry ('20, biological sciences) works in quality assurance and quality control in dairy production. Once he completes his postgraduate work, he aspires to become a quality assurance manager for a sustainable plant-based food company. Outside the classroom, Daniel enjoys water sports, dancing to bachata and salsa, and traveling back home to visit family in Colombia.
Rebecca Fischer
Rebecca Fischer earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from UC Berkeley and recently completed studies in biology and culinary arts at Glendale Community College. She has always been in the kitchen, creating recipes with a special emphasis on baked goods and marmalade. Many years ago, her mother was under treatment for cancer and required a specially prepared diet. Rebecca prepared a wide range of frozen foods, and the feedback she got about the variety and balance in the options in her mother's diet gave her the confidence in creating menus with health considerations in mind. People started asking her questions about their own diet, but Rebecca realized that to be an expert, she needed to go back to school. She took a leap of faith about her commitment to the educational process and plans to be a patient advocate, especially for the elderly and critically ill.
Maryam Ghaed
Maryam Ghaed studied food science in Iran and worked in various factories as a senior food scientist before coming to Cal Poly Pomona. Her research work focuses on plant-based proteins to help increase consumer preference for plant-based foods for health, sustainability, and ethical purposes. In her spare time, she loves playing volleyball, camping, spending time with her spouse. Professor Harmit Singh is her advisor.
Melanie Hercules
Melanie Hercules received her bachelor's degree in food science and technology from UC Davis in 2019. Her current research interest is supporting student success through community nutrition education. While earning her graduate degree, Melanie is working as a student office assistant for the Department of Nutrition and Food Science. Upon graduation, she would like to continue being a child and family advocate and work for a local Women, Infants, and Children program or local school district as a community program coordinator. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys going to the beach, walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones. Assistant Professor David Edens is her advisor.
Brad Hill
In addition to his graduate studies, Brad Hill is completing the Didactic Program in Dietetics coursework with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian. He aspires to open his own practice that specializes in weight management and sports nutrition, with an emphasis on cooking, meal planning, and motivation. He earned his bachelor's degree in anthropology from UC Irvine in 2008, focusing on ethnomusicology and gender studies. His current research interests include digging deeper into the body-weight set point theory and hypothesizing how to break that set point, under the guidance of his advisor, Assistant Professor Emily Kiresich. In his spare time, he runs a taro chip business, enjoys running, cycling, cooking, fermenting, and spending time with his wife and son.
Arnel Mariano
Arnel Mariano's current research involves encapsulating polyphenols from orange pomace in protein nanoparticles with Associate Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo as his advisor. Arnel completed his undergraduate work in biology and with a minor in chemistry from Cal State Channel Islands in 2018. After which, Arnel worked as a research assistant in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His work involved using synchrotron X-ray footprinting to study the structures of water-soluble proteins. In his spare time, Arnel enjoys playing card games, running, and bicycling.
Vanessa Orozco
Vanessa Orozco received her bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton in health science with an emphasis in health promotion and disease prevention. Her current research interests are diabetes management and food insecurity. After completing her master’s, she plans to apply to a dietetic internship program and continue the path to becoming a registered dietitian. In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys weightlifting, a good cup of coffee, and going to concerts.
Tony Wei
Tony Wei ('05, food science and technology) has worked in the food industry with various companies, such as Panda Express, Mars Petcare and Jollibee Food Corp, for which he specialized in new product development and commercialization. Some of Tony’s industry achievements were the development of Panda Express’ Honey Walnut Shrimp, Sheba® Cat Food Perfect Portions™, and Jollibee’s Crispy Chicken Tenders. Tony's advisor is Associate Professor Olive Li. In his spare time, Tony enjoys camping, surfing, and traveling with his family.
2022 Cohort
Taneshi Noel
Taneshi Noel received her bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Cal Poly Pomona in 2022. Her current research interest is promoting healthy dietary behaviors through nutrition education for those who have limited access to basic needs. After completing her master’s, she plans to continue the path to becoming a registered dietitian. Her goal is to become an advocate for communities that face racial and ethnic health disparities. Taneshi enjoys creating and trying new recipes, baking, jumping on the trampoline, and spending time with her family.
Hadis Rezaei
Hadis Rezaei earned her bachelor’s in nutrition from Azad University in Tehran, Iran. With the strong passion she has always felt for nutrition, she decided to complete her education here at Cal Poly Pomona through the master's program. She is planning to be a registered dietitian and work as a clinical dietitian. She is also interested in sports nutrition and how to improve anyone’s athletic performance. Her advisor is Assistant Professor Emily Kiresich. In her spare time, she also enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, dancing Zumba, hiking, and spending time with her spouse.
Joselyn Ung
Joselyn Ung received her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management with a minor in Culinology and food science and technology from Cal Poly Pomona in 2022. Her research involves designing and fabricating lutein-enriched, pickering emulsions stabilized by zein nanoparticles with Associate Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo as her advisor. In her spare time, she loves going out to try new restaurants, building miniature doll houses, and playing games.